Policy
Chicago is facing urgent civic and structural challenges. Leading a Better Chicago is focused on restoring trust, improving public safety, strengthening public education, and addressing long-term financial instability. Read more below.
Chicago is finally seeing what works in public safety: sustained, neighborhood-based work.
That looks like mentorship, violence interruption, trauma-informed care, and trusted relationships built over years by the people and organizations doing the work. These organizations deserve the city’s funding and support. This progress will not continue if funding does not.
We do not need more rhetoric. We need better funding models, faster contracting, and the political will to invest in success rather than deflect responsibility.
Leading a Better Chicago is serious about public safety and sustaining the gains the city is finally seeing. Read more here.
Systematic fiscal changes and a lack of community care have deeply impacted the stability of education in Chicago.
As CPS alums and parents, we recognize the need for equity and equal opportunity for all students. Our education sector suffers from a deep budget deficit and leadership instability. Bad contracts and risky financial dealings should not get in the way of our children’s education.
City Hall needs to balance its books.
Chicago cannot grow its way out of a deficit built on wishful math. We need a disciplined, transparent budget that lives within its means. This means:
- Right-size the city workforce and ensure staffing matches actual service needs.
- Working with other units of government to reduce overlap and cut waste.
- Requiring every department to justify spending annually (“zero-based budgeting”).
- No new taxes until existing dollars are audited and accounted for.
- Require independent financial audits of all major agencies—including CPS and CTA—so taxpayers know exactly where their money is going.
Community is how our city’s resilience grows.
All Chicagoans want the same thing: safety, good education, and a better future for their children. This means creating funding and support for the organizations doing community work day in and day out in our neighborhoods, prioritizing community events for our youth, and investing in the people and businesses that shape these communities.
Chicago’s economic and neighborhood stability depends on becoming a more family-friendly city.
This can be achieved by improving the coordination, accessibility, and management of existing essential services, such as child care, parks, and libraries. Our founder, Bill Quinlan, has outlined a practical “Family Agenda” that prioritizes data-driven decision-making, centralized information for parents, and greater city accountability to ensure that everyday family life is affordable and manageable.
Small businesses are vital to the city's economic and social health.
Small businesses serve as engines for job creation and neighborhood revitalization. Leading a Better Chicago, Founder Bill Quinlan, has a practical agenda to make Chicago more business-friendly. We need to simplify city processes, enhance safety in commercial corridors, and provide accessible capital and resources. Bill’s plan seeks to shift the city’s focus from merely announcing programs to achieving measurable, positive outcomes for local entrepreneurs and the neighborhoods they support.
Chicago must improve mental health care access for Latino residents.
The city should guarantee affordable, Spanish-language services and ensure clinicians can communicate directly with patients rather than relying on interpreters. Leading a Better Chicago advocates for a more integrated crisis-response system where mental health professionals are available to assist police. Transparent public reporting is necessary to measure actual treatment outcomes rather than just funding or referrals.